Tom Davis (comedian)
Encyclopedia
Tom Davis is an American
writer and comedian. He is an Emmy Award
winner, and is best known for his former partnership with Al Franken
, as half of the comedy duo "Franken & Davis" on Saturday Night Live
.
, Minnesota
, where he built up a friendship and writing partnership with Franken.
In 1975, Davis got his break as one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live
, where he and Al Franken
also performed together. Franken and Davis also wrote the screenplay for, and appeared in, the film One More Saturday Night, and had cameos together in Trading Places
and The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash. Davis was a frequent guest on The Al Franken Show
, playing in sketches as characters including Treasury Secretary John W. Snow
and a male prostitute. Davis is responsible for such SNL sketches as "Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber
" with Steve Martin
, the "Nick The Lounge Singer
" sketches with Bill Murray
, and "The Continental" with Christopher Walken
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and comedian. He is an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winner, and is best known for his former partnership with Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
, as half of the comedy duo "Franken & Davis" on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.
Life and career
Davis attended The Blake School in MinneapolisMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, where he built up a friendship and writing partnership with Franken.
In 1975, Davis got his break as one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, where he and Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
also performed together. Franken and Davis also wrote the screenplay for, and appeared in, the film One More Saturday Night, and had cameos together in Trading Places
Trading Places
Trading Places is a 1983 American comedy film, of the satire genre, directed by John Landis, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. It tells the story of an upper class commodities broker and a homeless street hustler whose lives cross paths when they are unknowingly made part of an elaborate bet...
and The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash. Davis was a frequent guest on The Al Franken Show
The Al Franken Show
The Al Franken Show was the flagship talk show of the former talk radio network, Air America Radio. Hosted by Al Franken, it featured commentary and interviews arguing for left-wing positions on the issues of the day, and comically poking fun at the George W. Bush Administration. The show began as...
, playing in sketches as characters including Treasury Secretary John W. Snow
John W. Snow
| image=John W. Snow.jpg|imagesize = 250px| order=73rd| title=United States Secretary of the Treasury| term_start=February 3, 2003| term_end=June 28, 2006| predecessor=Paul O'Neill| successor=Henry Paulson| birth_date=| birth_place=Toledo, Ohio...
and a male prostitute. Davis is responsible for such SNL sketches as "Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber
Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber
Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber was a recurring comedy sketch on the American television show Saturday Night Live during the late 1970s. The title character was a barber surgeon played by comedian Steve Martin, a frequent host of the show...
" with Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
, the "Nick The Lounge Singer
Nick The Lounge Singer
Nick The Lounge Singer was Bill Murray's most popular recurring character during his tenure on Saturday Night Live. The character was a typical 1970s lounge singer who sang current songs in a drawn-out, schmaltzy manner, and was typically accompanied by Paul Shaffer on piano. Nick always had a...
" sketches with Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
, and "The Continental" with Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
.
Filmography
- Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
(1975–1979) (1985–2003) (TV) - The Paul Simon Special (1977) (TV)
- Bob & Ray, Jane, Larraine & Gilda (1981) (TV)
- Steve Martin's Best Show Ever (1981) (TV)
- The Coneheads (1983) (Animated TV Special)
- Franken and Davis at Stockton State (1984) (TV)
- The New ShowThe New ShowThe New Show was a NBC sketch comedy show produced by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, which ran for only one season from January 6 to March 23, 1984. Apart from being 60 minutes in length and entirely pre-recorded, the show is similar in format to SNL...
(1984) - One More Saturday Night (with Al FrankenAl FrankenAlan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
) (1986) - ConeheadsConeheadsThe Coneheads is a sketch on Saturday Night Live which originated on the January 15, 1977 episode, and starred Dan Aykroyd as father Beldar, Jane Curtin as mother Prymaat, and Laraine Newman as daughter Connie.-Summary:...
(with Dan AykroydDan AykroydDaniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
) (1992) - Trailer Park (1995–2000) (TV)
- Hitting the Wall (2001) (also Director)